This parody of "West Side Story" has a fabulous opening which I suppose would be even more hilarious to anyone who is familiar with the 1961 movie. Not ever watching that film, except for a few clips, I couldn't appreciate the parody in here. However, humor is humor and good singing is good singing and there is a lot of both in this 21-minute short. Considering the topic, it is not a shock it won the Academy Award for Best Short Film/Live Action in 2006. Simply put, we have competing fast-food restaurants on the West Bank: one Jewish, one Arabic. You have the "Kosher King" eatery on one side and the "Hummus Hut" on the other. Some of the signs in each establishment are clever ("The Chosen Restaurant") and some of lyrics sung by the "help" will make you laugh. There almost is too much to digest in a short period. One would have to view this several times to get all the jokes in the first few minutes.Unfortunately, the rest of the film - the bulk of it - can't match that fantastic beginning. Things settle down when the romantic songs start and the rest of the story is romance and "peace" between the two long-time enemies. It gets very cliché-like and predictable.....too much so, to the point of being sappy.

I was fortunate to have seen this film at the Santa Cruz Film Festival this year and it was fantastic!! Humor, political satire, song, what's not to love? I was especially impressed with the quality of the writing - very sharp and funny- and the acting and film-making overall. Really well done and thoroughly entertaining. I expected to see some familiar names in the credits, say Spielberg or some such, but was surprised to learn it was a student film from USC. Top notch production quality and talent. The story line was so true to the Shakespearean plots in Romeo and Juliet (and West Side Story) but with a modern twist and sensibilities. Very timely political spin on the tensions of the West Bank. I will be looking for this on DVD as well as watching for new projects from this creative team. A must see!

Although it lasts just 22 minutes, "West Bank Story" does a beautiful job of entertaining and educating the audience. The backdrop of the West Bank is a perfect setting for this poignant, playful take on the traditional "Romeo and Juliet" story. It is clear that all involved with this film paid great attention to detail; from the costumes to the cinematography to the conversations, every element is vividly and engagingly conveyed. The satirical spins on Shakespeare, the musical genre, the ongoing political and ideological conflicts in the Middle East, and even the fast food industry make this a must-see. "WBS" was one of the true highlights of Sundance 2005...kudos to cast and crew on a job very well done. I made sure I was one of the first in line to add this short to my collection when it was released on DVD!

This film is hilarious! I just returned from the Sundance Film Festival, which is where I saw the film, and it got a great response from everyone in the audience. The cheers at the end were so loud, I was actually expecting a standing ovation. I attended the festival as an intern with the co-founders of the Harry M. Warner Film Institute. We're holding our first annual film festival this spring, and we went out to Sundance to see some films and get some more experience with festivals in general. After this show, both of my supervisors were so impressed that they approached the director of this film to see if he would be willing to submit a film to our festival. If you haven't seen this film yet, you are definitely missing out.